Orvieto's buildings, most of which date to the Middle Ages, were also built out of tufa making the city look like it evolved from the rock that supports it on its own.
As soon as we arrived in Orvieto, we headed to the edge of the wall to check out the views, after which we strolled through the city and stopped for lunch at Le Grotte del Funaro - a restaurant built down in the tufa caves which were actually used as a city under a city from the Etruscan Age through the Middle Ages.
We enjoyed some home made pasta with local black truffles as well as crostini with some wonderful toppings like goose liver pate. This is the local bruschetta only it was so much better than any bruschetta we ever had.
And of course we enjoyed a refreshing bottle of the Orvieto Classico or "liquid gold" as nick-named by the ancient Romans. The Romans built a port on the Tiber River which runs alongside Orvieto in order to ship Orvieto Classico back to Rome. It really is that good!!
After lunch we headed to Orvieto's Duomo which is quite possibly the most sparkling facade we have ever seen. Orvieto's most striking sight is, without a doubt, the facade of its Duomo. The overall effect with the sun glinting off the gold of the 17th- to 19th-century mosaics in the pointed arches and intricate Gothic stone detailing everywhere is, to say the least, spectacular.
The Duomo was ordered built in 1290 by Pope Nicholas IV to celebrate the miracle that had occurred 27 years earlier at nearby Bolsena. Work was probably begun by Arnolfo di Cambio, but the structure ran through its share of architects over the next few hundred years -- including Florentine Andrea Orcagna; a couple of Pisanos; and, most significantly, Sienese Lorenzo Maitani (1310-30). Maitani not only shored up the unsteady structure with his patented buttresses but also left a Gothic stamp on the building, especially the facade. Here he executed, with the help of his son, Vitale, and Niccolò and Meo Nuti, the excellent carved marble relief panels in the lower register.
The controversial (mainly because they're contemporary) bronze doors were cast in 1970 by Sicilian sculptor Emilio Greco. Parts of the facade, including the mosaics, were damaged by the 1997 Umbria earthquakes.
The choir behind the main altar was frescoed by Ugolino di Prete Ilario in the 14th century. 
Opposite the high altar is an enormous organ with similarly frescoed ceilings and you can see the striped marble walls which make up the interior of the Duomo and are a common element of Gothic-Romanesque churches.
To the right of the high altar is the Cappella San Brizio, containing one of the Renaissance's most important and spectacular fresco cycles. Fra' Angelico started the job in 1447 but finished only two of the vault triangles: Christ as Judge and a gold-backed stack of Prophets. The Orvietan council brought in Pinturicchio in 1490, but the Perugian painter inexplicably cut out after just 5 days. It wasn't until 1499 that Cortonan Luca Signorelli strode into town, with the council hailing him Italy's most famous painter and practically throwing at him the contract to finish the paintings. After completing the ceiling vaults to Fra' Angelico's designs, Signorelli took over with his own style on the walls. By 1504, the Duomo had some of the most intense studies ever seen of the naked human body, plus a horrifically realistic and fascinating rendition of the Last Judgment. Michelangelo, master of the male nude, who was most impressed, made many sketches of the figures, and found a prime inspiration for his own Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel.
We walked away so impressed with the beauty of this Duomo up against the beautiful blue Italian sky.
After our tour of the Duomo, we went on a tour of Orvieto's underground. There is a whole other city built into the Tufa foundation. Below is a picture of an old olive oil press last used in the Middle Ages.
These caves were undoubtedly dug out by the Etruscans and used as a shady place to work, store animals and collect water. The civilizations that followed also made use of this space in much the same way. Now the caves are most often used as a cool dry place to store wine.
From the entrance to Orvieto's caves we could see the countryside surrounding the city. Below is a former monastery built during the Middle Ages which now contains a five-star hotel and an elegant restaurant. We didn't visit it but we enjoyed the views of it.
After our tour of Orvieto's caves, we strolled through the town weaving through the tiny, charming streets. 
Nearly every building is composed of the same golden-beige tufa.
Here is Kenny playing with a very expensive suit of armor that some shopkeeper was dumb enough to leave outside his souvenir shop. What kind of souvenir shop sells medieval tools of torture, anyway???
This building now houses local government offices in Orvieto but it is better seen as a beautiful example of the Medieval architecture and golden rock used to build this city.
From the lookout tower at the top of the wall, we can see the sides of the tufa rock that makes up Orvieto. We can imagine how this city was able to survive so many centuries of civilization from such a fortified point. Below is also the famous Pozzo di San Patrizio. While Emperor Charles V was sacking Rome in 1527, the Medici Pope Clement VII took advantage of a dark night and the disguise of a fruit vendor to sneak out of his besieged Roman fortress and scurry up to Orvieto. Convinced that the emperor would follow him, Clement set about fortifying his position.
Orvieto's main military problem throughout history has been a lack of water. Clement hired Antonio Sangallo the Younger to dig a new well that would ensure an abundant supply in case the pope should have to ride out another siege. Sangallo set about sinking a shaft into the tufa at the lowest end of town. His design was unique: He equipped the well with a pair of wide spiral staircases, lit by 72 internal windows, forming a double helix so that mule-drawn carts could descend on one ramp and come back up the other without colliding.
Although Clement and Charles V reconciled in 1530, the digging continued. Eventually, workers did strike water -- almost 10 years later, at which point Clement was dead and the purpose moot. The shaft was nicknamed St. Patrick's Well when someone suggested that it vaguely resembled the cave into which the Irish saint withdrew to pray.
From all angles, Orvieto provides vast views of the green countryside surrounding it. From this look out point we can see all the way to the Appenine Mountains not to mention the amazing pink sunset behind them.
No comments:
Post a Comment